Hanoi (VNA) - Tra My cinnamon, a specialty of thecentral province of Quang Nam, has received a timely boost in the form ofplans to promote investment to preserve and develop cinnamon trees.

Cinnamon trees have long been associated with the spiritual life,economy and culture of Tra My ethnic groups. Since the 1980s and 1990s,cinnamon, especially Tra My cinnamon, has been a major money-maker.

Cinnamon products have been widely consumed in both domesticand export markets, creating a major source of income for people incinnamon-growing areas. Cinnamon trees have become the most important tree inthe economic development of Quang Nam’s Tra My district.

According to Vice Chairman of the Nam Tra My districtPeople’s Committee Tran Van Man, in order to preserve the tradition of growingcinnamon, the district has included the goal of developing cinnamon in itsregular resolutions of tasks.

The People’s Council of Quang Nam province also issued aresolution on the conservation and development of Tra My cinnamon. In October2011, the National Office of Intellectual Property ofVietnam certified the unique quality of Tra My cinnamon.

In Nam Tra My district, 10 of 10 communes plant cinnamon; therefore, the outputand cinnamon area has increased continuously over the years. Currently,cinnamon-growing area is 2,864ha and cinnamon output in 2017 reached about 350tonnes, an increase of 200 tonnes compared to 2011.

In recent years, the cinnamon market received renewedattention in the province as demand across the country rises. The price ofcinnamon products has gradually improved, so that cinnamon growers can live byplanting this type of tree.

However, the current limitation is that the marketing ofcinnamon in Nam Tra My district is poor. Almost no purchasing and processingunits have signed contracts with farmers; hence, farmers only sell raw productswith unstable prices, Man told Vietnam News.

Phan Quoc Cuong, Chairman of the Tra Leng commune People’sCommittee in Nam Tra My district, said cinnamon growers want to have stablebuyers and new technology to upgrade the value of their products. In addition,there should be a more stable mechanism of co-operation between enterprises andpeople to collect and buy products from cinnamon, such as branches, leaves andwood, Cuong suggested.

Reggie Turner, an Australian businessman specialising indistributing and selling cinnamon products, said his customersin Australia and the United States are very satisfied withthe quality of Tra My cinnamon compared with other cinnamon products such asSri Lankan cinnamon.

Tra My cinnamon can and should be recognised throughout theworld as high quality cinnamon, which can yield high quality health careproducts, he said.

However, that requires boosting cinnamon quality andinvesting in new cinnamon plants. But farmers cannot afford this cost, so acooperative model is needed to bring together farmers, scientists, governments,producers, distributors and sellers.

According to Turner, the demand for medical and herbal healthproducts is increasing worldwide and the world is relying on Vietnam tomeet this demand. He believes that Vietnam can build a global brand for Tra Mycinnamon. This brand will add value to cinnamon products grown and produced inVietnam, as well as bring more revenue to farmers.

Nguyen Xuan Son, Director of the Huong QueProduction-Processing-Import Export Trading Company Limited, suggested that TraMy cinnamon growers must choose practices to grow, harvest and preservecinnamon in accordance with international organic standards to meet the strictdemands of the world market.

In the future, he recommends piloting a cinnamon cultivatingarea in Tra Leng commune according to organic standards. This model could bescaled up to raise the value of Tra My cinnamon brand.

At the same time, authorities should give advice and guidancefor local people on exploitation and preservation after harvesting in order topreserve the quality of cinnamon to increase trade value as well as processinghigh value products, Son said.-VNA